


Still Alive

by ZekeFreek



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 19:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13794894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZekeFreek/pseuds/ZekeFreek
Summary: A post-canon V3 fic and follow-up to "This Cake Is No Lie".A hurt/comfort Saimeno fic, mostly.





	Still Alive

_ (A/N: If you haven’t read the post-canon oneshot I wrote for Himiko’s birthday, I would recommend doing so before reading this. The setup for their living situation and dynamics was established there and this story is written under the impression you already know them. Thank you.) _

**Still Alive**

It had been several months since the killing game, long enough to adjust and move on to a new way of living. But of course, nowhere near enough time to forget… not that they had any intention of forgetting the tragedy they went through. The mental wounds were fading, almost invisible in day-to-day life… but still hurt when agitated. 

“People say they’re hiding outside of town somewhere”, a voice claimed.

“Who are you talking about?”, another inquired.

To the rest of the world, they were curious oddities to be discussed in hushed whispers and seedy online chat-rooms. Most people had grown ambivalent to their existence… these fictional characters who have escaped into reality. 

“The survivors, man. I have this one friend, who swears he saw them by the docks last week. They wear hoods to blend in, but once you see their faces, you just know”, the voice explained.

“Whatever. I’m kinda over Danganronpa… even if they brought it back, I’m not sure I’d bother watching”, the other voice replied.

The word ‘survivor’ had become almost synonymous with them… those three who kept to themselves. And when they left their hideout, they dashed around darkened streets swiftly. They didn’t want to draw attention from the unpredictable masses around them.

“Yeah I’m with you… I dunno, I used to be so into it but… it just seems… I dunno, kinda sour now”, the voice agreed.

“Sour? That’s what you’re going with?”, the other voice chided. 

“Look, whatever. We’re gonna be late for class”, the voice concluded.

“Hey! Get back here! Someone stop that punk!”, a much older voice cried out. 

An angry middle-aged shopkeeper was charging down the busy street, following what looked like a young man in dark clothing who was clutching a plastic bag. They past by the chatting schoolboys in a hurry, scaring a nearby flock of birds in the process.

The young man turned into an alley and started sprinting down the straight path, knocking over crates and trash cans behind him to slow down his pursuer. The older man leapt over these obstacles but ending up slipping on an iced-over puddle and crashed hard on the ground. 

While his face was in the ground, the young man quickly flung open and ducked into a doorway and crouched underneath the window. When the shopkeep managed to pull himself to his feet, he ran forward and surveyed the area in front of him. When he saw no trace of the young man, he slammed his fist on the wall and muttered something disrespectful about the youth.

The shopkeep, bitter and disappointed, stomped off back down the alley in the direction of his store. After a brief moment, the young man let out a sigh and flipped off his hood… this young man was Shuichi Saihara.

He quickly opened the plastic bag he was holding and peered inside. His score was intact, a large quantity of convenience store items. He grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow, closing the bag. Mission accomplished. 

Suddenly, he heard the clang of footsteps above. He was inside the stairwell of an old apartment complex, so he looked up to see a pair of girls two flights above him. 

“Looks like you ran into trouble”, the one in the red hoodie said. 

“Yeah… I’m still not as good as you are, Maki”, he admitted sheepishly.

“I told you I’d handle it”, she reminded him.

“We can’t rely on you for everything, you know. We’ve got to get better at this too”, he said, picking himself up off the floor. 

“Next time I’ll cast an invisibility spell to help you… it only makes you invisible to small rodents though…”, the girl in the black hoodie added.

“Heh, might still come in handy if I ever need to rob a pet store… Oh, by the way, catch”, Shuichi said, reaching in the bag and tossing an item up to her. She caught it and gave a thumbs up. 

“That flavored milk again?”, Maki asked rhetorically. 

“I’m a growing girl, Maki!”, Himiko said defensively, clinging to a bottle of strawberry-flavored milk. Maki gave a soft chuckle at the reaction. 

“Anyway, we should lay low for a few hours atleast”, Shuichi warned as he started climbing the stairs. The trio traversed the stairwell all the way up the seventh floor. There, they unlocked the door to the apartment closest to the stairwell. 

Room 729. This wasn’t so much a home to them as much as a spot to lay low. A place to stash stolen items and hide from pursuers, when the need arises. A home away from home, as it was a pain to venture directly back to the abandoned motel outside the city every single time. 

This apartment had been vacant for a long time and was technically still under renovation… a renovation the owner couldn’t afford and thus was simply left in an incomplete state, forgotten. It was an ideal hideaway. 

There was barely any foot traffic on the seventh floor and hardly anyone used the stairwell these days. It was a great place to slip away to. They each had a key, copied from the original, which sat inconspicuously inside the owner’s office. The owner herself was almost never around, leaving the complex to the whims of its tenants. 

“Good, you got the cold medicine too… we might need it”, Maki commented, rifling through the contents of the plastic bag. 

“Hopefully that’s all we might need. If any of us needed prescription antibiotics… that’d be a lot more troublesome”, Shuichi noted. It was difficult sometimes to live outside the system, the things one might take for granted often came up as obstacles to living what resembled a normal life.

But they had accepted that there was no such thing as a normal life… not for them. Not for fictional characters. There was no happily ever after. Life continued for them, even after the story they were made for. Every day brought new challenges… but also new joys. In that way, it was… fulfilling. 

“We’re still going downtown tonight, right?”, Himiko asked, throwing herself on the futon with a cheeky grin. 

Downtown was where most of the entertainment in the city took place. The three of them had taken to street arcades, bookstores and rec centers for their excursions. Tonight however, they were sneaking into the movie theater. As they had several times before.

“Yeah, the weather doesn’t look too bad”, Shuichi said, glancing at the newspaper sprawled out on the countertop. It was winter now, so they had to worry about that kind of thing. 

As she tossed a bunch of packaged food into an old refrigerator, Maki remarked, “You know, when things warm up… I’d like to try my hand at actual cooking”. Not much was in season in the area, so raw ingredients were tucked away inside big grocery stores, making them… impractical to acquire.

“That would be nice… as comforting as instant ramen is, even it gets old after awhile”, Himiko replied, stretching out her arms while arching her back. Shuichi couldn’t help but smile as he saw it… she was like a cat.

“Just as I got used to eating regularly, food becomes a commodity… heh, that’s just my luck”, Shuichi said, taking a seat in an armchair that faced a small TV set. 

Maki shrugged, “I think the fact that none of us are big eaters has helped quite a bit…”, she commented, trailing off before mentioning something uncomfortable. That happened a lot with them… whenever they remembered everyone they’d lost. 

The mood darkened for a moment. It certainly was true… most of the others had bigger appetites than they did. Except for one… he had no appetite at all. Shuichi felt around in his pocket… it was still there. A tiny metal chip with a fictional emblem inscribed on it. It used to be a part of... his collar.

Anyone else would’ve regarded it as a piece of junk. But to him, it was a reminder… a reminder of the true hope that he had given them. It wasn’t much… but it was all that was left. He kept it with him for when things got… difficult. It might not have been… logical, but… it helped.

“Maki-roll should make some maki roll! That’d be the best place to start!”, Himiko said jovially, crossing her arms proudly. There was a brief pause where Maki glared at the lounging girl ambiguously.

“...N-No good?”, Himiko stuttered.

After another second of silence, Maki gave a soft chuckle and replied, “Maybe you’re right”. Himiko crossed her arms defiantly for the uncomfortable pause, as if telling her it wasn’t funny to do that.

Shuichi took his hand out of his pocket, his spirits lifted.

* * *

 

Snow fell gracefully as the sun dipped towards the horizon, and the three of them had just navigated to a back alley behind the movie theater. They were standing by one of the emergency fire exists, which was normally locked unless one pulled the fire alarm. 

While the other two kept lookout, Maki carefully unscrewed the exterior alarm switch panel. Disabling common forms of security was after all, a minor part of her skillset. Her fictional… but still very effective skillset.

“This isn’t permanent, right? If there was an actual fire and the alarm was disabled…”, Shuichi commented in a whisper, rubbing his arms for warmth. 

“I’m not really disabling the alarm, just this specific panel. If there was a fire, this would probably be the least likely switch for someone to use, right? All the others will work regardless”, Maki explained. 

That was true, and actually made Shuichi ponder why there was even a fire alarm switch on the outside of the building at all. Himiko shivered a bit from the cold, “Nyaa… why can’t we get inside the usual way?”, she asked.

She was referring to the other method of sneaking inside, which they had used before. This simply involved going through the ticket office while the employee was away or distracted. Sometimes it involved distracting the worker themselves. 

“They recently added a new camera to the front of the building… better safe than sorry”, Maki responded.

Shuichi took a moment to think about that before raising an objection, “Ah but… even if we walk past the ticket booth without talking to them… that shouldn’t be a problem, right? Lots of people buy tickets online after all”, he pointed out.

Maki briefly stopped fiddling with the switch panel, as if she hadn’t considered that… and then kept on like she hadn’t heard him.

“Nyaa! You didn’t realize that, did you?”, Himiko teased with a cheeky grin.

“S-Shut up… I just thought a route where we aren’t seen by anyone would be better”, she retorted. In any event, she managed to disable the security lock and reattach the panel cover. This allowed them to push the emergency door open without setting off any alarm.

“This comes out by the girl’s bathroom if you’re curious”, Maki snarked. 

Shuichi rolled his eyes with an understanding smile… it seemed she still wasn’t letting that go.

They entered through the emergency door located around the corner from the first floor bathrooms. Maki peered around the wall and nodded to affirm that nobody was there, so they pressed onward. 

Making sure to keep their hoods up, they casually walked through the halls until they reached the theater room they’ve researched ahead of time. They took vacant seats near the far edge of the theater, to minimize interaction with the populace. 

“Nyaa… what are we even watching this time anyway?”, Himiko asked, taking a seat between her friends. 

“Some spy thriller, I think. It was Maki’s turn to pick”, Shuichi reminded her.

“Ah, she still gets a glint in her eye when it comes to weapons, is that it?”, Himiko suggested jovially.

Maki was silent, her expression unreadable. 

“W-Was I right?”, Himiko stammered, her tone shaken.

“It’s hard to tell…”, Shuichi admitted with a sigh.

As a preview trailer played out, Maki spoke up, “You know, in a way we’re actors ourselves”. It was a casual musing, but had grim implications. She probably didn’t mean anything by it, just thinking out loud.

“Heh, I suppose so. I guess an unaware actor is the most convincing…”, Shuichi said, wondering if they had reached a point where they could speak so lightly of their ordeal. The thought was amusing divorced from their past suffering, but he still felt a tinge of annoyance. 

He gazed around the darkened theater… how many of these people relished in the turmoil… and deaths, of his friends? It was when his mind turned to thoughts like that… that he realized he may never be able to connect with anyone but the girls sitting beside him. 

There still hadn’t been enough time… to sort out his feelings on the matter.

He shook his head. He went there to enjoy himself, so he should cast aside those kinds of thoughts. They’ll just make him depressed.

The film was enjoyable enough, full of unexpected turns, tense moments and stylish atmosphere. It probably wouldn’t stick with them, but a fun time was had. And really, sometimes a distraction is all one needs.

It was getting late, so they figured there wouldn’t be a problem simply going out the front entrance. Along the way they passed by posters of upcoming features, Himiko showing an unexpected interest in a film about a mexican wrestler of all things. Perhaps not coincidentally titled “El Blanco Tigre”.

“Ah! Hold up, I need to use the bathroom”, she said, gesturing backward. 

“Okay, we’ll wait for you outside. Be careful”, Shuichi assured her as he and Maki walked off. Himiko dashed back through the side wing and into the girl’s bathroom, which was thankfully empty.

After finishing her business, Himiko was distraught when she noticed a pair of theater employees chatting in the main hall, right in front of the bathroom wing. Not wanting to risk getting caught, no matter how small the risk might be, she decided to exit out the emergency door and run around to the front of the building.

She carefully made sure nobody was watching as she slid out of the door, making sure to seal it behind her. When she turned around, she smacked into a taller boy, falling to the ground with a thud. 

“--Nyaa!”, she cried out instinctively. 

The guy looked down at the girl now picking herself up off the snowy ground, whose hood had slid off. He turned to a group of others behind him, “H-Hey guys, doesn’t this girl look familiar?”. 

Himiko blinked and saw before her a small group of what appeared to be students. It looked like a few guys and a single girl who looked too fashionable for her own good. 

“Oh shit! No way! It’s totally her! It’s the fake mage girl!”, one of the guys shouted excitedly. The others exchanged uncertain but intrigued glances. Himiko gulped audibly… she seemed to have wandered into something she shouldn’t have.

“Fake!? I mean… you have the wrong girl”, Himiko stated defensively. 

“Pfft, as if. You’re a deadringer, especially with this hair”, the tall guy said as he roughly flipped her red hair. She pushed him away and tried to leave, but another guy blocked her path. 

“Hey now, where are you going? We’re big fans, you know. Stick around and chat”, he said in a slimey tone. Himiko’s heart was racing… this was bad, she had to get away from them. 

“...I don’t want to talk to you”, she stuttered nervously. 

“Well, maybe we wanna talk to you”, the tall guy said, twisting her around by the arm. She yelped in surprise but tried to hide it. 

“Ah yeah, it’s totally her. You can tell by her annoying ‘nyaa’s, hahaha”, the long girl in the group shrilled. 

“Oh yeah, what’s up with that by the way? You got a speech impediment or something?”, another guy perked up, chuckling to himself.

“Yeah! Hey, maybe she could show us some of her maaaaaagic? Huh, huh?”, another guy said, leaning his face in uncomfortably close to hers. Himiko didn’t speak, she just looked down at the ground. 

“I can’t believe she’s here in front of us! What are you doing anyway, huh? Looking for newts for some ritual or something?”, another guy pitched in. The group let out a haughty laugh. 

“L-Leave me alone…”, she muttered under her breath. 

“Ha! Or what? What are you gonna do, huuuuuh?”, the girl taunted. 

“Nothing right? This chick was completely useless on the show, after all”, another guy answered for her. 

“I can’t believe she’s still alive! She totally should’ve died in that seesaw case!”, the tall guy exclaimed, slapping his hand to his scalp with a laugh.

“Yeah man, Tenko was waaaay hotter”, another guy commented.

“You have the weirdest tastes”, the girl noted.

“Yeah, why are you still alive, huh?”, a guy asked, pushing Himiko into the stone wall behind her. She tried to run away but the tall guy stretched out his leg and tripped her, causing her to collapse into the mud and snow. 

They all laughed as she struggled to get to her feet.

There were tears forming in Himiko’s eyes… this was exactly what she always feared… the others told her there might be these kinds of people in the outside world… 

A guy yanked her up by her hood, and she coughed up as if she was choked. Another guy started violently pulling on her cheeks while making the most chortled laughter. 

“Look at her, guys! She’s like a sad little doll!”, he yelled. 

“I can’t believe she lived and not any of those cool guys”, the girl said as she walked up and flicked Himiko’s forehead. 

“Oh yeah, and she was always talking back to Kokichi wasn’t she?”, another guy pointed out. 

“Yeah huh? What was that about, huh? It was so annoying how you always mocked him. He was like, the coolest one there!”, the tall guy said angrily as he tossed her back onto the ground. 

“Pfft, what a waste of a character! Couldn’t even have the decency to die like the pack filler she is!”, the girl shouted as she kicked at Himiko, who moved her arms around to shield herself. 

Himiko couldn’t even see through the tears welling up in her eyes. She gritted her teeth as the guys started kicking her down as well. She wanted to scream but was too afraid… afraid it would only provoke them more. 

She tried to crawl away but they just kept kicking her down. Was this fun for them? Didn’t she suffer enough? Were their lives so empty that they had to harass her like this? 

She was dripping wet and covered in muddy paste… but still they kept on saying horrible things about her. That she was useless, or annoying and that she didn’t deserve to live. All she could do is block them out the best that she could… it wasn’t true, she thought. 

It wasn’t true.

It wasn’t true.

It wasn’t true.

It… couldn’t be true.

She stopped trying to escape as these dark thoughts overtook her mind… all she could hear was their laughter. They blamed her for living… for dying instead of Tenko… and Kokichi… and all the others… how stupid it all was. They never even knew them… and it was because of them that they died at all.

These people who had never known true fear in their lives were mocking her… even after all they had put her through… all of them through… it was sickening. She felt like throwing up. Did she really go through the killing game just to end up here? She hated them… she didn’t want to hate… but it was the only feeling she had for these people

She swore she’d face life with a positive outlook… but how could she in the face of such a rotten world? This event was slowly making her wish… that she hadn’t lived at all. All she wanted was to retreat into her shell and ignore all the painful memories… the painful thoughts that pierced her mind. 

Was there no… no hope at all?

“H-Hey… Hey! HEY! K-Knock it off! I SAID STOP IT!”, a voice called out.

She turned her head back, trying to see what was happening through tear-soaked eyes. She saw a black figure run towards her, shoving the other guys out of his way and sliding down on his knees. 

“H-Himiko? Himiko! Are you okay? S-Say something! Please!?”, the voice begged, before he turned to glare at the others around him. They protested… but she could no long hear them. She didn’t care what they had to say… it was all white noise. In that moment… the only voice she wanted to hear was his.

He wiped her tears away, revealing his face to him. She knew it well obviously… his face full of anguish and concern. She didn’t like seeing him like that but… she was just… so… so overjoyed to see him at all. Without even thinking, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her crying face into his shoulder.

She could hear more shouting and protest around them… but she didn’t care about any of that. Everything that mattered to her right now was right there… after a split second of shock, Shuichi wrapped his arms around her tight. 

Maki had followed him down the alley. Her glare alone was enough to send the students running in terror. Shuichi was glad he didn’t have to see it himself…

They had started to hear what was being shouted and ran over as fast as they could… but he couldn’t imagine it had gotten this bad. As Himiko clung to him desperately… he felt a rage boiling inside him… a rage he hadn’t felt since… since the final trial…

But this was far more personal… back than it was abstract… but now… 

Maki chased the fleeing students down the alley but eventually stopped herself with a frustrated sigh. Drawing any more attention wouldn’t help at all. She returned to her friends on the ground, giving Shuichi a serious look. They had to leave. Now.

“H-Himiko…? Can you stand? We need to go”, he whispered to her as she wept. 

It was no use… she was in a state of panic and shock… all she could do was cling to him… the only source of warmth and comfort in this cruel world. Reluctantly, Shuichi hoisted her up off the ground. 

It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be… all that training… was paying off.

“I’ll bring her back… could you find some painkillers?”, he asked Maki seriously.

Maki looked over the crying girl… she would definitely have some bruises. She nodded and patted Himiko on the shoulder as she passed. Shuichi had to admire her restraint… there was a violent look in Maki’s eyes lying just past the concern. 

She wanted those kids to pay for this… but Shuichi trusted her not to act on that impulse. Even he couldn’t deny… he swallowed those thoughts and focused on Himiko.

He carried her through the falling snow… it was slow going. 

The bitter cold stung all the more as she silently cried into his shoulder… she shouldn’t be here. He was going to take her somewhere safe and warm… he didn’t want to see her like this… 

He tried reassuring her between short breaths, but he couldn’t say much. He decided to focus on just getting her back home. He had to take the long way through back alleys to avoid being seen. He marched through the snow, carrying her in his arms. 

Eventually they made it back to the apartment complex, where he struggled to make it up multiple flights of stairs… nearly slipping several times. He practically kicked open the door and slammed it behind him. Maybe someone heard, who knows… he didn’t care anymore. 

He laid her down on the futon… she was reluctant to let go of him. But he continued to hold her hands. He gave her a few minutes to calm down… never letting go of her hands. Seeing her… crying and bruised like this… it tore his heart apart and reminded him of all the painful memories he had stored away. 

Himiko swallowed a lump in her throat and finally spoke as the tears rolled down her face, “S-Shuichi…”, she called out. He tightened his grip on her hands by reflex. 

“I’m here… It’s okay, It’s--”, he started.

“...I-It’s no mistake, r-right? T-That I’m alive?”, she murmured… her voice cracking as her whole body shivered. Shuichi couldn’t even believe his ears… but without thinking, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

“No! No, of course it’s not! D-Don’t… Don’t ever think that!”, he shouted. 

Himiko bit her lip and nodded. 

“L-Life’s purpose… is to be lived… right?”, she asked aloud.

“Yes… Yes, it is… You don’t need to justify anything to anyone… I don’t give a damn what those people said and neither should you… I… I-I’m so sorry that this happened to you, Himiko…”, Shuichi continued.

She nodded, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath.

“Are you okay?”, he asked again… he couldn’t help it.

“No…”, she muttered, still gritting her teeth… “No but… I will be”, she concluded, her voice a little stronger than before. 

Shuichi gave a faint smile. “That’s good… that’s good”.

Himiko looked down at herself… she was wet and muddy from being tossed around on the snowy ground. “I...I should shower, shouldn’t I…”, she noted, her face still all red.

“Ah… Yeah”, he replied.

He left the room briefly as she undressed and entered the apartment shower. He dug through a duffel bag of their effects and pulled out her nightwear, a simple pair of pajamas… this too was stolen.

He quietly folded them and left them by the bathroom door. Returning to the futon, he sat in deep contemplation… waiting for her.

Shuichi always feared something like this would happen… she would be alright… he knew that. She was strong… stronger than anyone in the whole world gave her credit for. But… seeing her in that much pain…

He carried her all the way back here… she was so fragile and soft, he thought. How could anyone want to hurt her like that… it was incomprehensible. Something awoke in him then… for that moment… he would’ve done anything to keep her from harm. 

It wasn’t long before she returned to him, wearing fresh clothes and a faint smile. “Sorry I worried you…”, she said, taking a seat next to him. Shuichi shook his head and tensed up a little.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything… You are okay, right?”, he asked, his eyes brimming with honest concern. Himiko took a deep breath and kicked her legs back and forth casually. 

“Y-Yeah… I’m okay now. It’s done with, right?”, she answered.

Shuichi was surprised… he shouldn’t be, but he was.

“You’re amazing, you know that?”, he blurted aloud.

Himiko fidgeted in embarrassment, “D-Don’t get me wrong… it bothers me… a lot… but I’m just, you know… looking forward”, she explained.

“You shouldn’t give any thought to what they said. Maki and I don’t think any of that stuff about you… so you shouldn’t either”, he reassured her with a smile of his own. 

Himiko was gazing at the darkened floor, illuminated only by moonlight. “...So what d-do you think… of me?”, she inquired with a slight stutter. Shuichi was taken aback by this line of questioning.

“I- What?”, he stammered.

“I-If you don’t think those things… then what do you think of me?”, she repeated, with more emphasis. She turned to look at him in the eyes with intensity. Shuichi had a complete non-revelation as he looked at her serious expression, lit by the pale moon.

She was really cute.

Of course he knew that but this time he internally noted this so intuitively that it startled him. He scratched the back of his neck timidly… his honest thoughts, right. What were they?

“I think you… keep us balanced, if that makes sense. You have an incredible way of lightening the mood, even without saying a word. I really appreciate that… and admire it, in a way”, he began, just going off whatever came to mind.

“Seeing how hard you pushed to change yourself… to face things positively… it made me believe I could do the same, in my own way. I was p-proud of you… and you let me know that you were proud of me too… so I guess that made me really happy. I think… being around you helps me grow... a-and vice versa…”, he rambled on, becoming more bashful. 

It was easier than he thought to admit all this, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. 

To his astonishment, she didn’t reply with words. She simply fell onto his shoulder and smiled widely. “Nyaa… that’s good. Because I think so too”, she said with a small yawn.

There was a long period of silence that made the moment feel eternal. Shuichi found himself wrapping his arm around her shoulder without even thinking. He panicked a little when he realized it and tried to move it but… Himiko slowly grabbed his hand and kept it where it was. Shuichi took a breath and relaxed… it was fine.

“S-Shuichi…”, she whispered. 

“Y-Yeah?”, he replied nervously.

“My body is starting to hurt…”, she said.

“O-Oh… Maki should be back with pills soon”, he consoled her.

“U-Until then…”, she began hesitantly, “I know a s-spell that will help soothe the pain”, she told him.

Playing along, Shuichi asked, “What is it?”.

“You promise to help?”, she wanted to confirm.

“O-Of course… anything”, he answered, his voice becoming lighter and softer.

She gently pushed him down onto the futon and fell on top of him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Her cheeks turning red, she instructed him, “C-Can you hold me like this?”.

Although bewildered, Shuichi didn’t hesitate to do so.

After a moment of feeling her warm and tired frame upon him, he spoke up, “I-Is it working?”. She nodded, holding him a little bit tighter.

Of course it was, she was now too flustered and excited to feel unpleasant things like pain and sadness. In a way, it was the perfect medicine. But she couldn’t form the words to answer him, so she only nodded into his chest.

Shuichi started patting her back by sheer reflex… or maybe that’s just what he told himself it was. Maybe he wanted to do so… wanted to ease her pain and… make her happy. Like she always managed to do for him, in so many little ways.

“Himiko… no matter what anyone says… I’m really… really glad you’re here with me”, were his heartfelt words. Himiko tensed up a bit… having already come this far, she decided to push it to the brink. 

Face forward… with courage… don’t hide… your feelings.

That was what she had taken from their tragic ordeal. And tonight’s events only strengthened that resolve.

“S-Shuichi… there’s one more part to the spell… if y-you’re willing…”, she admitted. Her heart was beating even faster than when she was so scared before… but this time it was a good feeling. It was beating for all the right reasons.

His detective’s intuition already told him what she was referring to… the only question that remained was whether he truly felt the same way. But it didn’t take him long to decide… whatever any of this meant, he could figure out later. In that moment, there was only one thing he wanted.

To help her in any way he could.

It was a short but impactful kiss. 

In no time at all, her pains and insecurities washed away.

He was truly reliable in so many little ways.

And as long as they believed in eachother, they would continue to grow.

Once again, he had made her so happy… that she was still alive.

**THE END**

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
